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TelCables SA targets East Africa for growth

Christopher Tredger
By Christopher Tredger, Portals editor
Johannesburg, 07 Mar 2024
Sudhir Juggernath, CEO of TelCables South East Africa.
Sudhir Juggernath, CEO of TelCables South East Africa.

TelCables South Africa, a subsidiary of Angola Cables, looks to exploit East Africa for regional growth having opened a new point of presence (PoP) at the Teraco Riverhorse DB1 facility in Durban.

Sudhir Juggernath, CEO of TelCables South East Africa, says the company is looking to  reduce latency for content delivery and provide alternative routing options amid an increasing volume of traffic over its subsea cable network and onward connections to Europe and Asia.

Data traffic across Angola Cables' network, including SACS, Monet, and WACS cables, reached a record high of 12 664 Terabits in 2023, the company stated.

Juggernath says several factors contributed to the surge in traffic, including upgrades to the cable system between South America and the USA, and the expansion of international PoP connections. These provide companies in Africa with more transit options to export and import content and data to and from the continent.

“The recent challenges being experienced in the Red Sea is a case in point, where we can offer alternative redundancy options.” 

FTTH / FTTB demand

The establishment of the Durban PoP addresses the growing demand for scalable ‘as-a-service’ solutions and digital infrastructure in the region, says Juggernath.

“At present, the region is experiencing a surge in investment by predominantly fibre network operators due to the increase in FTTH / FTTB demand," he says. "Added to this, the 2Africa cable system has landed in Durban, providing a new option and routing for users and businesses on the East Coast. Based on these developments, we have decided to invest to bring global content and connectivity options closer. The idea is more around demand creation than waiting for demand, we believe that investing early will give us an advantage in providing the services and solutions being brought about by the new cables.”

Businesses will have access to TelCables’ international Tier 1 IP and IPX Network and the option to connect to more than 66 global data centres, with low-latency routing options to West Africa, South America, the US, the UK, Europe and Asia.

From a local perspective, the Durban PoP is expected to stimulate the development of new networks and digital ecosystems along the East Coast of Africa and South Africa and enable more local ISPs and businesses to participate in the global digital economy.

TelCables' short-term goal is to empower local ISPs, fibre network operators, and content providers with better connectivity options across Africa and beyond. Additionally, the establishment of the Durban PoP positions the city as a strategic hub for Africa’s east coast.

Juggernath says that over the longer term, TelCables aims to establish direct connectivity between the Durban Hub and Asia, recognising the exponential growth in data traffic and the increasing demand for direct routing options to Asia and the United States.

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